The present invention relates to a martial arts training apparatus and especially to a compact training apparatus which is easily assembled and disassembled for placement adjacent building intersecting walls for providing a variety of martial arts training aids.
Participants of martial arts, as in Tae Kwon do, Kung Fu, karate, and kick boxing, require a means of maintaining, improving, and accurately evaluating kicking and punching skills. Instructors also require a means of demonstrating various blows without risking injury to themselves or others. To achieve the aforementioned, boards commonly held by onlookers are used as targets. However, manual board holders fearful of flying boards, broken fingers, or broken wrists resulting from the power delivered to break boards, may unconsciously pull away from the blow, thereby ultimately increasing the risk of injury to both the board holder and breaker from an off target blow. An accurate means of evaluating individual performance is also difficult because sparring participants typically reduce the force of their kicks and punches to avoid permanent damage to their opponent. In addition, many hours of individual training on speed, timing, accuracy and power are necessary for maintaining and improving individual proficiency on the various techniques employed in martial arts. However, the amount and quality of individual training time is often restricted for most participants due to the inability to secure the assistance of a skilled board holder.
Various patents have been granted on devices which address and eliminate the need for manual board holders. Representative of the prior art devices include the following. U.S. Pat. No. 4,889,334 to Partlo discloses a device which provides a martial arts board holding structure which substantially reduces the possibility of injury to the hand or foot of the user, while minimizing the possibility of damage to the device itself. Furthermore, this device is adjustable and can hold from one to a substantial number of boards to be broken. A pedestal stand is attached to the board securing the frame member for support at a desired position above the floor surface.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,757,989 to Bauer, Jr. is a martial arts board holding device which is portable and rigidly holds one or more boards to receive a karate blow or the like. U.S. Pat. No. 5,458,551 to Shento is a reusable break-away board assembly which includes a base in a vertically extending support and a board latching member for holding a board for use in martial arts training. U.S. Pat. No. 4,171,803 is a karate practice breaking board while U.S. Pat. No. 4,173,336 to Perry is striking equipment for developing martial arts skills which is attached to a wall. U.S. Pat. No. 4,295,646 to Squire is a karate board holding and storage device. U.S. Pat. No. 5,476,433 to Bruner is a universal martial arts training apparatus which has a support module with a plurality of upstanding support members equidistantly spaced in parallel relation to each other. The support module presents independent training stations at a single location but spaced from each other on different sides of the support module and includes a speed break, power break, heavy weight bag, and a board holder.
In contrast to the prior art martial arts training devices, the present invention relates to a universal martial arts training system which is both compact and can be easily assembled and disassembled for placement adjacent building intersecting walls such that a very small space, such as a 10.times.10 foot corner area, can provide participants of martial arts with training in variety of skills. The training system provides for the rapid attachment and use any number of martial arts training attachments for improving kicking, punching, and boxing skills.